The government has announced that the rules on health and safety for small businesses are set to change. The change will mean that small businesses such as shops, pubs, clubs and offices will not longer be inspected to ensure they are meeting health and safety guidelines. Ministers have said that the new legislation which will come in from next April will protect small businesses from compensation claims. Only those firms which operate in high risk areas such as in the preparation of food or construction or those with a poor track record will be required to have inspections. In addition to this change, new legislation is due next month which will ensure that businesses can only be liable for civil damages if they are proven to be negligent. Vince Cable has commented that businesses should not be tied up in red tape and common sense needs to be put back into health and safety. The government is expected to make further announcements over the course of this week which will be aimed at reducing the red tape associated with planning, housebuilding, dismissal and industry.

The fifteen year old son of one of the men who was killed in a helicopter crash in the North Sea is in a battle for compensation with his father's employers. Joel Taylor's father was killed in the crash on April 1 2009 along with 14 other men who were heading to the Bond Off Shore oil rig. The families of the other passengers have already settled for compensation from the employer KCA Deutag. Joel's legal team have said that the amount already offered is too low and the courts should decide whether the compensation is fair. The two companies involved Bond and KCA Deutag have said they are working towards a solution and would not comment further. Eight of those who died were from Scotland.

The director of insurance company Aviva, Dominic Claydon, has called for the government to increase the small claims limit on whiplash to £5,000 following a meeting between insurance bosses and the Transport Select Committee. The meeting involved Nick Starling from the Association of British Insurers and a number of representatives from insurance companies and solicitor organisations. Claydon said that the whiplash epidemic in the UK is adding £90 to the average insurance premium. He suggests that the limit on small claims needs to increase to £5,000 or the damages awarded reduced. He would also like to see the focus on whiplash claims being on rehabilitation and a change to the way that the at fault party is required to notify the other person's insurer. Meanwhile the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers has pointed out that the number of compensation claims for whiplash has actually fallen this year. They would like to see a more measured approach.

Footballer Jermain Defoe has won a compensation payout of four figures after he was held in a jail cell for five hours but was not charged with an offence. Defoe was pulled over while driving his Land Rover in the early hours of July 27, 2009. He was accused of driving while disqualified and taken to Harlow police station. He told the police that the ban had been lifted because he was appealing the decision. His lawyer Nick Freeman who is well known for high profile cases and for getting his clients off on technicalities says that the case was about a principle and not the money. He says it was an error on the part of the police and the arrest should not have been made. The police have pointed out that they were unable to check out Defoe's story until court officials could confirm it the next morning. The police have sent a letter of apology to the footballer.